This invention relates to roof vents for residential or commercial dwellings, and more particularly to a roof vent specifically adapted for use with tile covered roofs.
Tile roof ridge vents are typically used to vent an attic area of a residential or commercial dwelling, which area can become extremely hot during summer months. Typically, existing tile roof ridge vents require a nailer board, which is usually a 2xc3x974 or 2xc3x976 stud, to be secured to the trusses along the ridge such that the stud stands up and forms a surface to which the ridge vent can be secured. The ridge vents are usually two or three piece components which have a pair of flanges flaring outwardly away from each other. The flanges are adapted to be nailed to the roof. A cap portion of the ridge vent is then nailed to an upper edge surface of the 2xc3x974 or 2xc3x976. Tiles are then placed over the flanges.
The requirement for a nailer board (i.e., either a 2xc3x974 or 2xc3x976) thus represents a significant additional assembly step, as well as a significant additional cost, when installing tile ridge vents. Installing the nailer board alone often requires that the upper edges (i.e., apexes) of the trusses be cut to form a flat surface to which the nailer board can be secured. This significantly increases the time, cost and effort associated with installing ridge vents for tile roofs.
It would therefore be highly desirable to provide a ridge vent adapted specifically for use with tile roofs which does not require a nailer board to be installed before the ridge vent can be secured to the roof.
It would also be highly desirable to provide a ridge vent which comprises a single piece component which can be quickly and easily secured to the ridge of a roof over an opening in the roof, and which does not require the installation of a nailer board before installing the ridge vent.
It would further be desirable to provide a ridge vent having an expandable neck portion to accommodate roof tiles of different sizes.
It would also be highly desirable to provide a ridge vent which is relatively inexpensive to produce, lightweight, and which completely eliminates the use of a nailer board as a prerequisite to installing the ridge vent.
The above and other objects are provided by a ridge vent in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The ridge vent of the present invention generally comprises a main body portion having a pair of oppositely extending eaves, a neck portion and a pair of oppositely extending flanges. The eaves each have a plurality of slots formed therein for allowing air to enter and exit the ridge vent once it is installed on a roof. The ridge vent forms a one-piece component which is extremely lightweight, relatively inexpensive to produce and, most importantly, completely eliminates the need for installing a nailer board on at the ridge of the roof before installing the ridge vent.
The ridge vent of the present invention is installed by positioning it over an opening formed at the ridge of a roof. The flanges are then secured by threaded screws or nails to the roof. The neck portion spaces the main body portion a short distance above the roof while the slots in the eaves allow air to circulate into and out from the ridge vent. Since no nailer board is required to support any portion of the ridge vent, installation time is significantly reduced. A tile cap may then be secured over the main body portion such as by threaded screws.
In an alternative preferred embodiment, the ridge vent includes an accordion-like neck portion which allows the main body to be adjustably spaced closer to or farther away from the flanges. The main body further includes a plurality of integrally formed clips for holding an independent cover member which may be supported from the main body portion via the clips. This embodiment is further completely formed by a suitably high strength plastic as a single piece unit. In one preferred form, certain corner portions of the main body comprise living hinges which allow the vent portion and the main body portion to be laid out substantially flat. This enables the ridge vent to be packaged and shipped in a much more compact container, thus reducing shipping and packaging costs.